Wednesday, December 31, 2014

Why did you click to read
this blog article? Was it the picture art? Was it the title? Was it a random
choice? Or was it because of an
undeniable voices saying that you’re, in fact, having an “obesity” with
technology and you need a digital “diet” now?! Me and Daniel Sieberg,
writer of The Digital Diet,
guessing the latter. Well, you’re not alone. In fact, you’re in the majority. Let’s
examine yourself more with these questions by Daniel in case you still not
convince of your need for digital diet:

Do you sometimes feel the urge to pull out your smart
phone when someone else is making a point in conversation? Have you ever
realized you were texting while your child was telling you about her day at
school and later couldn’t remember any of the details of her story? Have you
ever felt that something hasn’t really happened until you post it on Facebook
or tweet about it? Do you sometimes wonder if you could actually focus better
in real life before all these gadgets invaded your space? Does a flashing red
light on your BlackBerry or white light on your iPhone make your heart flutter?
Does a ringing/vibrating cell phone interrupt and trump everything else? Do you
feel anxious if you’re offline for any length of time? Do you find that your
family can be in the same room but not talking to one another because you’re
each interacting with a different device?

The Digital Diet: The 4-Step Plan to Break Your Tech Addiction and
Regain Balance in Your Life(Three Rivers Press, 2011) by Daniel Sieberg is a
treasure book for me. As for the content of this book, you must read it for
yourself. In summary, the 4-Step Plan and subtopics are Re: Think (You Are What You Type, My Binary Binge, The Weight You
Can’t See), Re: Boot (Detox, Your
Virtual Weight Index, Surveying the Damage), Re: Connect (Mind and Body Dexterity 2.0, Upbeat While Downloading,
This Time It’s Personal), and Re:
Vitalize (Your Organic Blueprint, Sustainable Intake). Here I would like to
quote at length Daniel’s 10 Digital Diet Rules to Live By:

1)Avoid tech
turds. Don’t just dump your smart
phone on the table at a restaurant or at home. Keep it in your pocket or purse
unless it’s critical to have it out. If you must have it out, acknowledge its
presence and inform your companions that you’ll check it only in an emergency.
It’s a courtesy that you’d appreciate, too.

2)Live your life
in the real world. If you must post a
status update or tweet or blog about something in your life, then make sure
it’s something you’d be willing to announce to anyone you know face to face.

3)Ask yourself
whether you really need that gadget.
There are tons of cool stuff in the tech world, and some of it might even
improve your or your family’s life, but don’t feel compelled to buy every new
toy that comes out. Before you make a digital purchase, question its necessity.

4)Seek tech
support. Navigating the wilds of the
wired world can sometimes be too much to handle alone. It’s okay to ask for
help and it’s also okay to use technology to help “outsource self-control” when
needed. Check out the many programs that can assist with budgeting your time
online.

5)Detox
Regularly. Once you’ve completed the
Digital Diet, return to the detox phase one day a month. You can do this as a
family, too. Use that day as a touchstone to remember what life can be like
without technology.

6)Sleep
device-free. Move your chargers out
of the bedroom to another room in the house, and let your devices live there
overnight. They need a break from you, too.

7)It’s either
the human or the device. Work toward
choosing people over the device. Yes, there’ll be times when it’s tricky or
nearly impossible to choose between your smart phone or laptop and paying
attention to your child or your loved one or your friend, but try to use your
devices more on your own time rather than during the time you share with
others.

8)Remember the
“if /then” principle. Choices that
you make in the virtual world can have an impact in the real one. For example,
if you don’t find the time to put down the gadgets and log out once in a while,
then you might lose the ability to appreciate the finer moments in life.

9)Structure your
e-day. Work toward a finite beginning
and end to your connectedness. In other words, dive into the gadgets and the
e-mail and the texts only when you’ve composed yourself in the morning. When
you’re ready to unplug in the evening, do it without reservation and focus on
what—and who—is immediately around you.

10)Trust your
instincts. If you think you might be
spending too much time being a voyeur on social networks or playing online
games or endlessly texting, then you probably are. That little voice knows when
it’s all become too much. Listen to it. Pursue the ultimate goal of balance and
awareness.

Monday, December 29, 2014

This book The Digital Diet(Souvenir Press, 2011) by Daniel Sieberg is very
informative, challenging and interesting. On the subject of Don’t Be a Data Hoarder, Daniel wisely
counsels,

“There are many tragic
(and extreme) examples of people who can’t throw out a single possession. They live
in squalor and filth and often die in that environment. Dealing with something
as simple as an old sweater turns into an enormous ordeal. We pity them and
wish they could learn to separate ‘the thing’ from the emotion or ‘the thing’
from the person. All too often ‘the things’ take precedence because ‘the things’
don’t talk back or give them grief or cause alarm. But in the twenty-first century there is a new category of this type of
obsessive-compulsive behaviour – data hoarding.

Yet we have all become digital pack rats. We have so many digital photos and e-mails we want
to save, and with no single place to keep them, we don’t end up deleting
anything. We fret over whether we’ll still have this laptop ten years from now
or whether a certain format could be read by computers as our grandkids grow
up. Or we simply don’t want to delete those e-mails that build a relationship. My
wife actually printed out the majority of e-mails and instant messages that we
exchanged while courting in 2001. Yes, I was the shy (aka nerdy) co-worker who
started the come-hither messages. And while I’m all about saving trees, there
was something oddly reassuring about having tangible copies of these irreplaceable
moments of our history. I don’t think either of us still have any digital
traces of these steamy conversations (it’s a fun read), but I’m not overly
worried since we have the scrapbook.

We are going to continue to face this conundrum, as
our entire lives are increasingly lived out online. We don’t just have e-mails and instant messages; we
have text messages and Facebook posts and terabytes of digital video and photos
that build up over time. We buy new external hard drives to accommodate them
and attempt to purge some items. We get more space in our Gmail account and
forward everything to the ‘cloud.’ And we rarely print stuff out anymore, since
it’s time-consuming and sooooooo 2003. Therefore, we’ve all started to exhibit
some minor tendencies of a ‘data hoarder.’

Muller has studied a
spectrum of these types of personalities (a subset of obsessive-compulsive
disorder) and attempts to treat them with an extreme type of Digital Diet. Muller believes in ‘acceptance
and commitment’ therapy – in other words, getting information hoarders to
address their reliance on saving everything and proceed to a place in their
life that puts it in perspective. And while
the vast majority of us aren’t ‘hoarders,’ we may still keep too much stuff in
our in-box or text-message queue or cache. If you eliminate the unnecessary
messages and e-crap that are kicking around your various devices, you may
actually find it lifts a burden from your brain. Like a mini cleanse. Every
time you open those applications it will seem more empowering when you aren’t
bogged down by digital leftovers.”

Take Action: Use some of your online time to hit the delete key,
and feel the weight lift off your shoulders. Open your e-mail in-box and
review messages from the last few weeks. If it isn’t essential in your life or
critical to save, then delete it. I challenge you to get your in-box
below five to ten unread items. Look at what those messages are saying or
doing: Are they reminders? Sentimental? Things you don’t want to deal with? Use
your online time wisely and tackle as many as you can. Easier said than done,
of course, like a lot of things worth doing. But perhaps we can all learn
something from those information hoarders before it’s too late.

After I read this book, I put it into actions.

Yes, now I gain more freedom from the decease of data
hoarding

and I have more time for reading and writing. You should try it. All the best.

Saturday, December 27, 2014

you will discover that your
life will suddenly be filled with gratitude,

a feeling that nurtures the
soul” (Rabbi Harold Kushner)

Is the glass half full or
half empty? This is just one of the most common of the many metaphors used to
contrast optimism with pessimism. It is also said that an optimist sees
daylight at the end of a tunnel, whereas a pessimist sees the headlights of an
oncoming train. Optimists believe that every cloud has a silver lining, while
pessimists just see the potential for rain. Optimists see the doughnut, pessimists
see the hole.

Keeping your glass half full is a matter of what you
pay attention to. If you focus on the
positive aspects of a situation, this does not mean you are denying the
negative, it’s simply that you are making a conscious decision to seek God’s
guidance rather than evil’s plan; encouragement rather than discouragement.

One way to focus on the half-full part of the glass is
to express gratitude for what you have or what you have experienced,
what God gives to you and what God had done for you. I know, it is not always easy to recognize the
things in our lives for which we should be thankful, particularly when we are
unhappy, it can be annoying to be told to cheer up and be grateful that we have
home, family, health, and so on. However, this is precisely what God wants us
to do and what we should do. People who show their appreciation are those who
are enthusiastic, energetic, faithful, and optimistic, and they experience less
stress and depression. They are free to love God and others because they
appreciate life the most.

There is no doubt that
when the going is tough it is more difficult to be grateful than when things
are going well. However, it is during the hard times that we need gratitude the
most. Like my previous post, true Christians will surely be rejected and
persecuted – either spiritually or physical or mentally – but they are also
optimist about the future for “God causes all things to work together for good to those who
love God, to those who are called according to His purpose” (Romans
8:28) and “God
blesses you when people mock you and persecute you… For great reward awaits you
in heaven” (Matthew 5:11-12).

Friday, December 26, 2014

Christmas. The
angels announced Jesus’ coming. The visitors from the East welcomed him. The shepherds
were rejoiced and visited him. But his own people did not welcome him. Jesus
was rejected. I have had many friends in the past. Friends who would ‘die’ for
me, drink with me, smoke and share cigarette with me. When I told them that I want
to follow Jesus seriously and invites them to join me, they rejected me (Even
my mother and family members, at first, accused me of being radical). My
hundreds of friends now reduce to dozen of good faithful friends. Christmas
reminds me of that truth.

The story of Jesus is a story of rejection. The apostle John summarised that fact when he wrote,
“He came to his
own people, and even they rejected him” (John 1:11). It’s sadly
ironic that the people in general have arrogantly displayed a “No Trespassing” sign to their Creator. Mark 6:1-6 is especially touching because
Jesus is rejected by the people of Nazareth, his hometown where he grew up. No doubt,
they had heard reports of his powerful teaching and healing ministry throughout
Galilee, and his first appearance in the local synagogue was impressive that “many people were
there; and when they heard him, they were all amazed” (Mark 6:2).

“’Where did he get all this?’ they asked. ‘What
wisdom is this that has been given him? How does he perform miracles? Isn’t he
the carpenter, the son of Mary, and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas, and
Simon? Aren’t his sisters living here?’ And so they rejected him”
(Mark 6:2-3).

Based on the people’s
respond, “Isn’t
he the carpenter?” they doubted Jesus’ validity because he did not
have the status or prestige of a teacher such as a Pharisee. To them, he was no
more than a common labourer. They amazed at his wisdom, lifestyle and godliness
but because of his low status, he remains nothing to them. “Isn’t he… the son of
Mary?” another respond. Do you know? In Jesus’ time, a child was always
referred to as the son of his father (same also in our Iban culture. My real
name is Richard anak Ramlee. ‘anak’ means, in this context, is ‘the son of.’
The Indian is more obvious, ‘A/L’ in between of their name means ‘anak lelaki.’
Same also as the use of family surname in Chinese culture). Thus, referring to
Jesus as the son of Mary implied that Jesus was illegitimate (or the more harsh
word would be, ‘a bastard child’). The hometown people evidently knew and
remembered that Mary had become pregnant with Jesus before her marriage to
Joseph.

So rather than welcoming Jesus as a teacher and
healer, the people of Nazareth snubbed him as a simple village carpenter and
supposed illegitimate. Jesus was
obviously hurt and disappointed. Jesus said to them, “Prophets are respected everywhere except in
their own hometown and by their relatives and their family” (Mark
6:4). For sure, among the people were his own relatives and family. But on the
other side, their unwillingness to accept Jesus hurt them more than it did to
him because, “he
was not able to perform any miracles there, except that he places his hands on
a few sick people and healed them. He was greatly surprised, because the people
did not have faith” (Mark 6:5). Truth is their rejection to the
message of Jesus was also their rejection to God’s message, and their judgement
would be infinitely worse than their rejection of Jesus.

Friends, be prepares to be rejected as a true
Christian. Jesus clearly stated that rejection, even hatred, would be the
destiny of his followers. “Because… I chose you
out of the world… the world hates you” (John 15:18-19). When a
friend finds out that you won’t cheating for exam with him because of your
obedient to follow Christ, he may reject you. When you refuse to be compromise
and defended the faith when religion lecturers or friends play a fool and talk
nonsense about Jesus, when you stand up for the truth with love and conviction,
you will be persecuted. Your loyalty, purity, honestly and dependability as a
Christian is going to make you look as weird in the eyes of some people. Take heart!

But let’s look on the
bright side now. Jesus promised a
special blessing and reward for those who are rejected as his followers. “God blesses you when
people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil
things against you because you are my followers. Be happy about it! Be very
glad! For great reward awaits you in heaven” (Matthew 5:11-12). Friends,
you can live this life as a camouflaged ‘Christians’ avoiding confrontation and
rejection. But the believers who takes a stand for what is right, even if it
means losing their popularity, friends or status, is entitled for “great reward in
heaven.” Not I, but Jesus promised you. This is sure assurance as
Jesus is living today.

How does all of these (above) make you feel about
being a follower of Jesus?

Wednesday, December 24, 2014

though it makes the purse
lighter, makes the crown heavier”
(Thomas Watson)

Good movie to watch on
Christmas Eve. The film Schindler’s List
chronicled the heroic efforts of a German industrialist named Oskar Schindler. Through
his unselfish activities, over a thousand Jews on the trains to Auschwitz were
saved. Although the film, even on television, has some very graphic and
disturbing scenes, the message itself is profound.

After Schindler found out
what was happening at Auschwitz (one of German Nazi’s concentration camps), he
began a systematic effort to save as many Jews as he could. For money, he would
buy Jews to work in his factory which was supposed to be a part of the military
machine of Germany. On one hand he was buying as many Jews as he could, and on
the other hand he was deliberately sabotaging the ammunition produced in his
factory. He entered the war a wealthy industrialist; by the end of the war, he
was basically bankrupt.

When the Germans surrendered,
Schindler met with his workers and declared that at midnight they were all free
to go. The most emotional scene of the film was when Schindler said good-bye to
the financial manager of the plant, a Jew and his good and trusted friend. As he
embraced his friend, Schindler sobbed and said, “I could have done more.” He looked at his automobile and asked, “Why did I save this? I could have bought 10
Jews with this.” Taking another small possession he cried, “This would have saved another one. Why didn’t
I do more?”

Friends, one day Jesus is
going to split the eastern sky and come for his own. It will not matter then
how much money we have in mutual fund or how many bedrooms we have in our
homes. The temporary satisfaction we have in vacations and nice cars will be
gone. Only what we have done for the cause of Christ will matter. “Only what’s
done for Christ, will last.” This is the message of Christmas I learned
strongly this year. Give. Give. Give.

Tuesday, December 23, 2014

He is the eternal King, the unseen
one who never dies; he alone is God. Amen”

(1 Timothy
1:17,NLT)

It’s true that God is
immortal, which is simply a way of saying that he cannot die. Verses like 1
Timothy 1:17 say this plainly. It’s equally clear that Jesus really died. That
does not mean his existence ended. Rather it means his body and spirit were
separated, just as ours are upon our death.

On this point, Philippians
2:6 says that before Jesus entered human history as a man, Christ had equality
with God in every possible way. But he didn’t think that was something to hang
on to. Instead he emptied himself of that equality in humanity to come “in the likeness of men.” Hebrews 2:17
says the same thing: “He had to be
made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and
faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins
of the people.”

In conclusion, to identify with us and substitute
himself for us, Jesus Christ humbled himself by becoming a human being to die
like us so that we could have our sins forgiven. In this, Jesus remained God. Rather that refuting
Jesus’ divinity, his death reveals to us the love of God.

The Jehovah’s Witnesses
say that Jesus was not the creator God, but rather Michael, the created archangel
who became a man. Speaking of Jesus, however, John 1:1 teaches that in the
beginning (a reference to Genesis 1:1 when all created things were created),
the Word was already in continuing existence. He was in face-to-face, personal
relation with God when space-time, mass-energy, and the laws of nature were
created. John 1:3 then tells us that the Word created all things. Paul says the
same thing in Colossians 1:16-17. Throughout the Bible, it is clear that God is
the one who creates. Passages like Isaiah 44:24 and Job 9:8 are very specific
that it is only God who creates. So if
the Word creates, as John says, he has to be God. He can’t be anything less
without violating foundational teachings of Scripture.

In the final phrase of
John 1:1, it says “the Word was God.” Now, a predicate nominative
(noun + “linking verb” + noun) mean the two nouns share characteristics. For example,
when someone says, “The guy is a stud,” it means he has studly characteristics.
Likewise, when the Scripture says “the Word was God,”it
means that the Word shares the same characteristics
of God himself. Jehovah’s Witnesses wrongly translate the phrase as “the
Word was god.” But if this were correct, the Word would be one of several gods,
something no Jew would ever say. Further, the Jehovah’s Witnesses themselves do
not believe that either. Simply, Jesus
Christ the Word is God the Creator, not created angel.*

Monday, December 22, 2014

A leader has two important
characteristics: first, he is going somewhere; second, he is able to persuade
other people to go with him. John C. Maxwell, one of my favourite authors,
famously quote: “He that thinketh he
leadeth, and hath no one following, is only taking a walk.” That is
true! A leader is a person who is going somewhere – but not going alone. He takes
others with him. His ability in setting up situations in which others are
willing to follow him and happy to work with him is a precious skill called leadership.

“[Leadership] skill is make up of many qualities,” writes
Walter MacPeek, “thoughtfulness and consideration
for others, enthusiasm, the ability to share responsibility with others, and a
multitude of other trails. But fundamentally a leader is one who leads, one who
has a plan, one who keeps headed toward a goal and a purpose. He has the enthusiasm
to keep moving forward in such a way that others gladly go with him.”
Are you a kind of leader where people are following you or chasing you?

How to lead and getting
others to want to do something you are convinced should be done? How to lead
effectively? How to be a good influencer for others? How to be a leader that
people want to follow? First and foremost, I think, to be a good leader one need to be a good follower. Then maybe one
need to learn more about one leadership style, be a role model, be passionate,
listen more than talking, having a teachable and positive attitude, encourage
and able to motivate others, fear God and love people – and leader must be
reader! This last point lead me to recommend you some of good books on
leadership that I want to encourage you to read. Let us learn together.

My Top 15 Book on Leadership Lists (buy or borrow from me or steal it!):

1)The 7 Habits of Highly
Effective Peopleby Stephen R. Covey

2)Ultimate Leadership 3-in-1(The Winning Attitude, Developing the Leaders around You, Becoming a
Person of Influence) by John C. Maxwell

Thursday, December 18, 2014

“When the angels had
returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, ‘Let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this thing that has happened, which
the Lord has told us about.’ They hurried to the village and found Mary and
Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger. After seeing him, the
shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them
about this child. All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished…” (Luke 2:15-18, NLT).

Christians are supposed to be witnesses, not judges. It is not our responsibility to tell people their
faults and sins; it is our privilege, especially this Christmas, to tell them
about Christ and the salvation he alone can give. Like the shepherds and the
apostles, our task is simply to tell people what we have seen and heard
concerning Jesus Christ.

This makes witnessing a
personal, practical thing. Some Christians “play
the same old record” (consider how the Christmas messages were delivered for
the past few years) and think they are communicating the excitement and
challenge of the Christian life, but they’re not. Unless we personally walk daily with Christ in a real experience, we
have nothing to share with others. The Gospel or Good News is not past
history (although it is certainly based on historical facts) – it is present
reality. “We proclaim to you what we
ourselves have actually seen and heard so that you may have fellowship
with us” (1 John 1:3).

If witnessing means sharing a personal experience,
then the believer must maintain that fellowship with Christ. The indwelling Holy Spirit makes Christ real to us, and then through us to others. “[I] will send you the Advocate – the spirit of truth,”
said Jesus, “He will come to you from
the Father and will testify all about me. And you must also testify about me
because you have been with me from the beginning of my ministry”
(John 15:26-27).

Don’t allow witnessing to
become a strained, artificial thing. Stay in the Spirit, enjoy a personal walk
with Christ through his Word, prayer and fellowship, and like the disciples,
you will say, “We cannot stop telling
about everything we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:20). Merry
Christmas!

Wednesday, December 17, 2014

As for now, morality set
aside, there are other, more practical reasons for saving the orangutan from
extinction. The red ape’s very presence,
in some ways, is a key to protecting all the rain forest of Southeast Asia.
People are becoming more aware that all life on earth, including humans, are
completely dependent on forests for survival. The world’s rain forests have
provided humankind with a number of products they often take for granted:
coffee (ah, yes!), chocolate, rubber, and about half of all medicines in the
world today.

Of course, many of these
items can now be artificially produced outside of the forest. However, the vast
majority of the world’s rain forest plants have yet to be studied. There is no
way to tell how many more medicines, natural pesticides, and foods are waiting
to be found. Once the forests are gone,
these undiscovered treasures will be lost forever.

The orangutan plays an important role in protecting
these vital rain forest resources. Most
rain forests are closed systems, which means the entire ecosystem operates as
one large organism. The plants, fungi, and animals are all completely
interconnected and dependent on each other for survival. The combined
interactions of these smaller organisms make up the rain forest. The orangutan
is an integral part of this system. By eating a large amount of ripe fruits, the orangutan serves as a seed distributor.
In fact, some trees depend solely on the orangutan to distribute their seeds,
throughout the forest. Furthermore, by eating buds, shoots, and leaves, the orangutan effectively thins out or
prunes the forest, allowing the sunlight to come through the canopy and
stimulate growth in the understory.

Orangutan are also messy
eaters, which means that they serve as a
food delivery service for many of the ground-dwelling creatures. As the
orangutan drop uneaten portions of fruit to the ground below, a variety of
smaller animals and insects are treated to a free meal. These scraps make up
the bulk of many rain forest animals’ diets.

Perhaps the most important role the orangutan plays in
the forest, however, is as a “keystone” species. A keystone species is one that has, for one reason
or another, caught the attention of the human world and acts as a focal point
for forest protection. Orangutans are large, attractive, interesting, and perceived
as highly intelligent. They are also seen by many as a close relative to the
human species (If you don’t agree, then just see orangutan as living being
created by God). For all these reasons, people are interested in saving them. Thus,
in the course of saving orangutans, people also unwittingly save the lives of
countless species of smaller animals, insects and plants that share their
habitat. By rallying behind efforts to protect orangutans, the general public
helps to serve complete ecosystems.

Ecosystems is important. For example, people of Sarawak sometime don’t
understand why the natives want the Baram Dam project to stop. Besides the
unnecessary dam expansion, every habitat such as plants, animals, insects,
flowers, trees - even people who are very dependence on the river and forest for
living – include the orangutans will be
badly affected. Anything happen to the forest will affect humankind in general.
“A human made tsunami will roll down and
destroy everything,” said Peter L. from Long Anap, longhouse interior of
Baram district, “forest, rivers, crops,
churches, schools, graveyards, just everything! This will be the end of our
lives!” Save orangutan! Save ecosystem! Save our lives! My first practical
way to save orangutan is through awareness, how about you?

Tuesday, December 16, 2014

“For I was hungry,
and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink.

I was a stranger, and you
invited me into your home” (Jesus, Matthew 25:35, NLT)

“The best portion of a good man’s life – his little nameless acts of
kindness,

unremembered acts of
kindness” (William Wordsworth, poet)

One of the comments people most commonly make after a
major disaster has hit a community is how it brought people together to help
and comfort each other. More often
than not, when I read and talk to people who are going through some difficulties
and ask them if there is anyone nearby to whom they can turn for support, they
cannot think of anyone they know well enough to ask. Admittedly, I only do and
join few social community projects in Sarawak, but I understand that this
phenomenon is not exclusive to large, city areas only. The need for social
community projects is vast and very demanding, especially, today.

Few years ago, I joined
FES Malaysia, a student ministry organization, 2-weeks program called S.W.E.E.P.
(Social Work Exposure & Embracement Program) and my life changed! Since then,
my view on Christian faith broadened and my perspective of the Gospel enlarged.
Getting involve in social community projects (definitely not the only means out
there!) give joy to me because I get a chance to practise my faith, witnessing
Christ both through my work and words, and it is an opportunity to make a
difference in people’s lives together – even with the students and my
non-Christian friends. Offering to volunteer to help with or initiate a
community project has been, for me, the most satisfying ways to love God and
people.

In my experience, it pays
to think and plan before rushing in to help with the first project you
encounter or are requested to help with. In order to obtain the best return in
terms of helping the community, while at the same time it helps you in your
relationship with God and others, you will need to bear several things in mind
prayerfully:

Do Personal Research and Respect Local Needs

You can do this by asking neighbours and meeting leaders of local organizations
or churches. It also helps to spend time reading the local newspaper, campus or
community bulletins, and listening to any local radio station. Do some research
before you get involve. Don’t assume needs but offer helps only in the area of
needs (not whatever you wants).

Try to Match a Local Need or Interest to One of Your Talents

If you are good organizer,
you could offer to put on trips for residents’ association, or be on the committee
of a charity group. If your talent is writing, you could perhaps, offer to
start a newsletter or write something like this article in your blog or any
social medias. Give encouragements, update needs and be the voice for the
voiceless. If you have driving license, offer your help in transportation. If
you’re good in English or math, be a volunteer teacher. “If… be…” There are
lots of opportunities and ways you can be involve. What are your God-given
gifts or talents? Remember this: Playing
to your strengths will be much more satisfying for you and make your
involvement much more effective.

Under- Rather than Over-Commit

This is much easier said
than done (over-commitment is one of my weaknesses. vise versa). Every community
and charitable project is never ending and is constantly thirsty for help. It is
particularly hard to say “No!” in crises, but remember – these are inevitable and
frequent in this world. Don’t overcommitted that you lost your personal, quiet
and alone time with Jesus along the way. Jesus is our priority, not men. That’s
why the first commandment is the first, not second. Jesus said, “You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always
have me” (John 12:8). So you have to be clear about the commitment
you can give, and stick within your capability boundaries with
super-assertiveness. Remind yourself that over-commitment leads to
resentfulness, bitterness and burnout – none of which will benefit anyone if
you do.

“[Whether] you eat or
drink, or whatever you do (that include social community work),

Sunday, December 14, 2014

All forms of competition are hostile. They may seem
friendly on the surface but the prime motivation is to be or do ‘better than’ the next person. “Okay, you win!”
said another, and I was puzzled. “Since
when I compete with you,” I replied, “This
is not a competition.” When I gave suggestions to my friend, she responded
with raised eyebrow, “Oh well, you’re
more creative than me.” I was surprised by her respond. I never thought of competing
who among us is the most creative person in the ministry. I just want to help.

Remember this: We were placed on this earth to love and create,
not to compete. If competition is used as our basic motivation to do
anything, it will literally conspire against us and defeat ourselves every time. What I’m saying is that the purpose of
life is to BE God’s children, not to compete with one another. As one
teacher puts is, “I’m for me, not against
anyone!”

Although it may appear that the world is a competitive
place, it is only competitive to those who feel the need to compete. God’s children don’t have to compete. But sadly, most
people will reject this idea because of their childhood training, where
competition was rated right up there with how many A’s and who’s closes to 100%
mark. If you ask them if they think competition is healthy, they will reply,
with great enthusiasm, that it is not only healthy but necessary! They feel,
like I was, that it gives life meaning, purpose and direction; that a person
needs a reward for doing a ‘good job’ and ‘better than’ others. It never occurs to them that the reward
is in the BEcoming as the result of doing, not in the end result itself.

We compete with others
only when we are unsure of ourselves, insecure of our own abilities and our doubt
as God’s children. Competition is merely
imitation. It originates in early childhood from our need to copy others. The
competitive person feels that others are better than he and sets to prove
otherwise. He is struggles to surpass those he feels are superior. In effect,
he is always comparing himself to people around them. The competitive person
always needs someone else to validate how well he is doing. Beware.

God’s children, those who are abide in Christ, on the
other hand, does not feel the need to compete – they are content with
themselves. They don’t need to look
and see what others are doing or be ‘better
than’ the next person. They just doing their best for God. They want to be
what God wants them to be. They only desire God’s approval. Recognizing their capabilities
for what they are, they are strive for excellence and to glorified Jesus in
their lives. The only competition is with themselves, the only standard for
themselves is Christ, and all of these are done to achieve greater personal
growth and to bless others in what they do. God’s children don’t compete, they
just want to love, create and be God wants them to be – God’s children.